The present invention relates to machine tools, and in particular to a programmable bed therefor.
Machine tools are used extensively to form and shape parts of all kinds. In the furniture industry, machine tools, such as routers, boring machines, and the like are used to shape edges, cut grooves, ribs, apertures, etc. and perform other similar machining operations in furniture substrate material including plywood and particle board.
Such routing and boring operations are now used so extensively that programmable machine tools have been developed to automatically form the individual furniture parts that are assembled into the final furniture article from blanks. Furniture articles such as desks, credenzas, case goods, work surfaces, computer stands, and the like are constructed in this manner.
Heretofore, a plurality of separate fixtures or jigs have been used to positively locate the blanks from which the parts are formed on the bed of the machine tool at a preselected location with respect to the automated machining head or heads of the tool. Typically, each individual furniture part requires its own fixture. This use of multiple fixtures results in substantial expense, effort and manufacturing time when producing furniture parts, particularly in the set up and tear down of the machine tool between sequential runs. Machine down time necessitated by fixture change-overs also adds to manufacturing expenses. These problems are particularly exacerbated when consumer demand for such products are only such as to justify low volume runs.